ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This project was undertaken in order to investigate the phenomenon of repositioning/rejuvenation
in the South African women magazine industry, rooi rose and SARIE in particular. These two
women magazines, already in a mature phase and seemingly showing very little difference in
identity, have been constantly competing with one another for many years.
One of the goals of the study is to determine whether the manner in which repositioning is applied
would be a sustainable solution and/or whether, considering the saturated market in SA, this
would be the sole solution. Hypothetically speaking, the recipe for success may be embedded in
new or innovative information and information to support the adopting process of the reader. The
Diffusion of Innovation theory is used as the theoretical platform.
A content analysis of rooi rose and SARIE for the period July 2002 to December 2003 has been
conducted and applied to seven categories. The data has been scientifically analysed using the
Student’s t-test. It emerged from the quantitative study that no correlation could be found between
innovative content and content supporting the adopting process, and the fluctuation of the ABC
figures during that time period. By no means is this an indication that innovative content does not
play an important role in the editorial mix, only that SARIE’s better performance since its
repositioning should be attributed to other factors.
The two magazines are almost similar in terms of positioning, content and target market. For this
reason, the role that publicity plays at the launch of each monthly issue should not be
underestimated. The Afrikaans women magazine market shows meagre growth that points
publishers into other directions such as the expats market, for future growth and survival.
Finally, the general interest women magazine should seriously consider her own role in providing
innovative information for her reader in order to counter the strong upcoming niche magazine
market, which seems to have taken over this very important function of providing innovative
information and content supporting the adoption process.
In the meantime, change as the only constant means that repositioning or rejuvenation is a given
factor in the game of survival.